News from the Centre

Minister clamps down on late TB testing

Alun Davies, Minister for Natural Resources, is clamping down on farmers who are late getting their cattle tested for TB.

As part of the bovine TB eradication programme, cattle keepers in Wales are required to get their cattle tested every 12 months. The Minister has introduced penalties of one per cent of the Common Agricultural Payments for farmers who are between one day and three months late for their TB test. This penalty is in addition to cattle keepers who are currently penalised three per cent of their CAP when found at cross compliance inspection to be between three and 12 months late for their TB test. This increases to 5 per cent of their payment if they are over 12 months late.

Alun Davies said: “We are committed to ridding Wales of bovine TB and an important element of our eradication programme is identifying the disease quickly through regular testing. The vast majority of farmers in Wales already comply with annual TB testing and arrange their tests in good time. However, a small minority do not and this undermines our eradication programme and increases the risk of TB. That is why I have introduced this additional penalty that applies to all late TB tests from 1 January 2014.”
read more